ANTI-FOULING agents produced by marine algae could help prevent some of the most troublesome hospital infections. The chemicals don’t kill bacteria but instead stop them ganging together to form dense colonies that resist all treatment.
Up to a fifth of all implanted devices, from catheters to heart valves and hip joints, become infected. Such infections can be life-threatening, and also mean that patients may have to face major surgery again.
Part of the problem is that bacteria that usually live harmlessly on the skin attach themselves to the implants, forming thick colonies called biofilms that are impervious to the patient’s…
